


Stag. Boar. Wolf.

by fresne



Category: Irish Mythology, Mabinogion (Myth)
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-25
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-11 21:27:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9030137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fresne/pseuds/fresne
Summary: The brothers were raised in the court of their Great Uncle Math, but were no part of it. No songs were sung of them. No place was made at the table. They were as unseen.No mother to give them names. No father to give give them weapons. No king to make them a wife.This in the end proved to be for the better.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [madamebadger](https://archiveofourown.org/users/madamebadger/gifts).



> Implied bestiality and incest. Soooo... canon compliant.

The brothers were raised in the court of their Great Uncle Math, but were no part of it. No songs were sung of them. No place was made at the table. They were as unseen.

Gilfaethwy was not mother to the eldest, who he had born while in the shape of a doe. Nor was he mother to the youngest, who he had born while in the shape of a wolf bitch. They were symbols of Gilfaethwy's shame.

Nor was Gwydion, who had been stag to his brother's doe, a father to his son. No more was Gwydion moved to act as father or uncle born to the son of when he'd been a wolf to his brother's bitch. They were the symbols of Gwydion's shame.

Gwydion was not mother to the middle born, who he had born when he wore the shape of a sow. For he was a symbol of Gwydion's shame.

Nor was Gilfaethwy father to the boy born of when he'd been a boar to father a child on his brother, the sow. For he was a symbol of Gilfaethwy's shame.

They were given no name from their Uncles-Mothers-Fathers. Gwydion played no trick upon himself to name them.

Though, they watched their Uncle-Father-Mother Gwydion do this for their cousin. Trick a name from their Aunt Arianrhod for her shameful child. Lleu. They had followed Gwydion. Name hungry and hopeful.

They watched from woods until Aunt Arianrhod came out into those woods in a fury. She paused at the edge of the clearing and she smiled as she named them. She said, "I name my brother's shame. I name you for what you are. Hydd. Mochyn. Blaidd."

From that day forward, they had names.

They were given no weapons from a mother or father's hand. No weapon from their king. Gwydion played no trick upon himself to arm them.

Though, they watched their Uncle-Father-Mother do this for Lleu. Trick weapons from Aunt Arianrhod for Lleu.

They watched from the sea shore. Where the waves lapped. Weaponless and without training.

The wave lapped the shore with foam and became their cousin, Dylan. He said, "Why are you waiting here?"

Mochyn snorted with a red flare of his eyes. "We have no weapons and no one will give them to us, because we are the sons of shame."

Blaidd whined. "We had hoped that our Aunt Arianrhod would give us weapons now that Uncle-Father-Mother has tricked her into giving them to your brother, Lleu."

Dylan laughed. He slid back into the sea and returned with a splash. "You have your weapons as surely as you have names."

Hydd pawed the earth. "Surely, we do not."

Dylan laughed. He slid back into the waves and returned with a slide. "Look into the still pool over there."

They went to look. They found only their own faces. They with a great crash, a wave crashed upon the rocks. As they regained their feet, they found they had remembered their first shapes. From that time forward, they had only to splash themselves with water from the sea to change from shape to shape.

They found small flasks to carry sea water, which they wore around their necks on a chain in whichever shape they wore. In this way, they might have the weapons they were born with: horns, tusks and teeth.

They returned to the court of their Great-Uncle Math to find him presenting Lleu with a wife, a woman that he and Gwydion had made from flowers of oak, broom, and meadowsweet.

Hydd looked at her with the eyes of a stag. He looked at her and he saw the way that she looked at Lleu. She who had been a flower with her roots in the earth and her leaves to the sun. There was no love in her heart for Lleu.

Mochyn looked at her with the eyes of a boar. He looked at her and he saw the way that she looked at Lleu. She who would have become a seed. There could be no love in her heart for Lleu.

Blaidd looked at her with the eyes of a wolf. He looked at her and he saw the way that she looked at Lleu. She who would have grown into a towering oak. A wilding blush of broom that no wall could contain. A meander of meadowsweet. Her roots in the earth. Leaves to the sun. No woman made in this way could have love in her heart for her captor.

"She will betray and kill him," said Hydd.

"Our Uncle-Father-Mother will bring him back to life," said Mochyn.

Blaidd growled and turned in a circle. Resting his head upon his arm. He said, "We should leave before Llue is made king."

They left. No one ran after them to stop them. They went through the forest in their second forms. They crossed the sea-facing mountains in this way with no more need of supplies than what they caught. They came bay. On the shore of this bay, there stood a mighty tower. They put back on human shapes and went to their door. To their surprise, they were made welcome by the Lady of the place, Swyrsy.

She made them welcome to her very table and insisted that they eat with her. The meal was quite splendid. The table piled so high in delicious food that it groaned at the weight. When they were well full, she invited them to rest awhile.

They laid down and when they woke found that they had all become pigs.

Mochyn splashed himself with the water from his flask and became a man. But the water splashing from their flasks only changed Blaidd and Hydd not at all. Mochyn went in some anger to the room where Swyrsy was weaving. He roared, "What have you done to my brothers?"

She stopped what she was weaving. "How did you break my spell? It would take a powerful magic to break my spell."

Mochyn did not think before he spoke. He said, "I broke your spell because I am a boar!" Mochyn had the anger of a boar. He splashed himself and transformed. He smashed her loom against the wall. He raged in her solar. Finally, when he had wrecked all, he took back his shape. "Now give my brothers back their shapes."

Swyrsy transformed the brothers back into their shapes. She made the brothers truly welcome then. Although, they mistrusted her table. She asked many questions about their Uncle-Father-Mother.

Mochyn asked, "Why do you want to hear of our shame?"

"How is it your shame?" asked Syrsy, eating bread so that they would eat from the same loaf. "It is your Uncle-Father-Mothers who are shamed in their treatment of you."

Mochyn grew to love Syrsy from that moment. Even more as she invited him to share her bed.

Blaidd and Hydd were less swayed to her favour and urged Mochyn to leave.

When Mochyn made his intention to leave known, Swyrsy gave them many gifts to make up for what had happened. In particular, she favoured Mochyn. She gave him a boat with a silver sail that would sail to wherever Mochyn wished.

Mochyn said, "Were it not for my brothers, I would rather stay, but I here promise that I will return."

They boarded the boat and sailed across the sea, being careful of the waves.

They made their way to Ireland. They made to shore and set off across the land. In the hills, they saw a man with two hunting hounds under the attack of a great Wyrm.

The brothers did not hesitate. They took their other shapes. They fought the horrid Wyrm with antler, tusk and claw. They drove the great Wrym away.

They regained their human shapes. The man was much astonished. He said, "I am Orsin of the Fianna, and have seen many brave deeds, but I have never seen any so brave and worthy of song." He spoked to Hydd. "May I know your name as I have given you mine? May I know how this is possible?"

Hydd said, "I am Hydd, as you may tell. I was born from ones who were transformed into a stag and a doe." He desired to conceal the shame that they had been men transformed. Brothers. He desired that Orsin think well of him.

It was like an arrow to the heart when Orsin laughed.

Hydd was shamed. He turned to leave when one of the hounds spoke. She said, "I am Sceólang and this is my brother, Bran. We were born from a woman transformed into a hound. We serve our cousin, Orsin, who you have saved along with us. He does not mean to shame you."

"He was born from a woman transformed into a deer," barked Bran.

"I truly did not mean to shame you," said Orsin. "Do not go. It made me laugh to think there was another in the world like myself."

Hydd grew to love Orsin in that moment.

A flower that only further bloomed when Orsin invited them back to his home from which he had gone hunting when he'd encountered the Wyrm. He treated them well and gave them many gifts. In particular, he favoured Hydd. He shared his very plate with Hydd. He offered him drinks from his very cup. He invited him to share his very bedchamber. Each offer, Hydd accepted gladly.

While Blaidd grew quite close to Bran and Sceólang. He grew quite close to them both. He invited them to return with Mochyn, who was anxious to fulfil his vow to Swyrsy. He said, "Perhaps she can give you the power to change shapes as we do."

Sceólang said, "But I have only known life as a hound."

Bran said, "It's all we've ever been."

"But would you not prefer the choice?" asked Blaidd. This decided the siblings. They agreed to return with Blaidd and Mochyn.

But Hydd said, "I will stay here with Orsin." He looked to Orsin. "I have found a place here."

Blaidd said, "We will return to see that you are well."

They set out across the sea on the ship with the silver sail. It carried them to the tower of Swysy. She easily granted the power of transformation to Sceólang and Bran. She easily granted Blaidd's request for the power to switch from being male to female when that would be her choice.

With the power to change, Sceólang, Bran and Blaidd often hunted together. They often returned with joy in their steps. They were known to be quite close. Even to sharing a bed chamber. Sceólang and Blaidd. Bran and Blaidd. Sceólang, Bran and Blaidd. Such that when Sceólang and Blaidd had pups, it was hard to sort who was the child of who, so greatly were they loved.

Often Blaidd borrowed Mochyn's ship with the silver sail. Often they went back and forth across the sea.

So they enjoyed their days well and further adventures too.

**Author's Note:**

> If you like my writing, check out my profile for links to other works.


End file.
